My Meridian/M500 costs $200/hr in direct operating costs. At a block speed of 237, flying 30,000 nm takes 127 hours. We fly about 3 times that per year and have for the last 3 years, so my numbers have a pretty good sample size. We actually have just shy of 30K nm on our M500 since May. So 30K nm is about $25,000. Even if I throw in fixed costs, still just a little over 50K for 30K nm. The Meridian is the least expensive factory new certified Turbine out there to fly. Only thing less expensive that I know of is a Jetprop, but that is not a factory aircraft. As Ken says, DOC's matter every time you fly the plane. Here is a cut of my spreadsheet for 127 hours.

Yes. I certainly chose a larger more comfortable plane over one with more top end speed. The Eclipse is too small and too much money for what you get. Again, I go back to buying a used Mustang if I want a low cost, short range jet with a G1000.

Using these numbers is speculation at best. The Eclipse is not always at 41K'. How much is Eclipse burning when ATC holds you low?

$2100 in yearly fuel cost is a rounding error at best.

Yes. I certainly chose a larger more comfortable plane over one with more top end speed. The Eclipse is too small and too much money for what you get. Again, I go back to buying a used Mustang if I want a low cost, short range jet with a G1000.

My Meridian/M500 costs $200/hr in direct operating costs. At a block speed of 237, flying 30,000 nm takes 127 hours. We fly about 3 times that per year and have for the last 3 years, so my numbers have a pretty good sample size. We actually have just shy of 30K nm on our M500 since May. So 30K nm is about $25,000. Even if I throw in fixed costs, still just a little over 50K for 30K nm. The Meridian is the least expensive factory new certified Turbine out there to fly. Only thing less expensive that I know of is a Jetprop, but that is not a factory aircraft. As Ken says, DOC's matter every time you fly the plane. Here is a cut of my spreadsheet for 127 hours.

[quote="Charles Ivester] Now with the Garmin coming in the Canada, and the chance to fly a 550 with no depreciation waiting for it.... Interesting. I think they sell quite a few 550's under this program.[/quote]

Charles,
The chance to fly the 550 with no depreciation is intriguing. And they offer free maintenance for 5 years. And they have also discounted the 550 a half a million dollars!
They have also made the offer to sell SE's at $2 million instead of $2.3 million if you'd rather have a refurb plane instead of new. That comes with a 3 year maintenance plan. They had 3 of those available a week ago.

They have 17 550's to sell under the program and as I understand their pitch that will keep their factory busy until the Canada is certified and built. They have 17 airframes under construction now in the factory. They said the deal was good through the end of OSH. I think will be interesting is to see how many they actually sell by the end of OSH.

Since they are practically giving 550's and SE's away why is their display so thinly populated? I saw Gordon's photo of the booth on COPA which he was spinning in a positive light but it looked practically deserted except for Eclipse employees.

On Eclipse Jet Pilots forum they are running a poll on the Canada. Of 23 respondents 4 existing Eclipse owners said they were buying and 1 non Eclipse owner was. Four others said they were thinking about it. That's not very good. I heard before OSH that they had 11 Canada's sold and someone told me a few days ago that their salesman had sold 4 in one day. That sounds better.

I wonder if they will announce at the end of OSH how well they did. My guess is survival is a cash flow exercise and they need to sell all of the 550's to do it. The 550 will never be $3.2 million again and the SE will never be $2.3 million again. They couldn't sell them at those prices before in any meaningful quantity and with the program they have going never will again.

The Canada has game changing range if you need personal transportation. I hope they make it.

Depreciation is a big unknown. Depends on a lot of factors. I had a very well running Mirage, that would run LOP at over 200 KTAS on 15.6 gph. I had someone offer me cash retail 2 years into the plane. It was a Gem. I did Salt Lake to Atlanta non-stop in that plane with standard tanks, and with no alternate IFR reserves. I turned him down because I would just buy another Mirage at the time, and might have to really work on it, to get it to run as well LOP. I can't disclose what I sold my last Meridian for, just say that my biggest concern now is recapture. True depreciation is never really known until the plane is sold. Plus the tax advantages are pretty complex, and depends on what you do with that money. As far as true depreciation, you may never sell it, it could even total loss one day as an insurance claim, could find someone that just has to have that aircraft and offers a ridiculous amount of money. So I don't out too much into that side of things. DOC's, however, they are real and that money never comes back.

No doubt the MU2 is an interesting combination of speed, utility and efficiency. A little bit of a handful to fly though. I don't think on my bad days that I am that good of a pilot.

Don't put too much credence in using a random "Eclipse profile" on fltplan.com--most of them way overstate the fuel burn. I ran it with today's headwinds using my personal profile and got 1247 lbs fuel burn. Time enroute was 3:06. That makes your actual fuel burn 46% more than the Eclipse. It would be just 35% more than the Eclipse if we took your direct number of 1689 pounds.

35% more or 46% more; either way, it's real fuel and real money. And yes indeed, burning 35% more fuel matters. At least to me .

What did you say your direct operating costs per mile over the last, say, 5 years have been for your plane?

Ken

Wow Ken, if your numbers are correct, the eclipse should do much better range than book, right? What's your max VFR range with your profile?

The book is correct, and my profile is based on book numbers. The current production Eclipse (500/550/SE) does about 1300 nm with VFR reserves:



The new "Canada" Eclipse does over 1400 nm with NBAA IFR reserves, so it should get about 1600 nm with VFR reserves.

Ken

Ken,

Today the Canada doesn't do anything. It's a paper airplane and doesn't exist. Even as a prototype.

Today the Canada is vapor ware. The comments Alan Klapmeier made are very concerning about it ever getting built. Pitched as 18 months he now says 2-3 years and there is "no timetable". No contract for the engines. Going to make Garmin compete with IS&S for business on a low volume, complicated airframe. Right.

There is nothing except One's graphs to back up the range claims they are making.

To be a game changer and better than everything else the product has to exist. Right now it's just a dream.

OK, so stick to the numbers I posted for the plane that's been flying over a decade. They're pretty good numbers.

As to the "Canada," I don't share your pessimism. I don't think it's that complex of a project. If they don't get nailed on the wing stub design (which they could work around even if they do get nailed on it), there's no showstopper in it--the plane carries more fuel, uses bigger engines, and has a different panel. Do you know how many existing aircraft designs have gone through exactly that set of improvements?

Ken

10 years! I can't believe it's been that long. I'm glad to see you enjoying your airplane. I always was amazed at the performance and how easy it was to fly.

OK, so stick to the numbers I posted for the plane that's been flying over a decade. They're pretty good numbers.

As to the "Canada," I don't share your pessimism. I don't think it's that complex of a project. If they don't get nailed on the wing stub design (which they could work around even if they do get nailed on it), there's no showstopper in it--the plane carries more fuel, uses bigger engines, and has a different panel. Do you know how many existing aircraft designs have gone through exactly that set of improvements?

Ken

If you really want an entry jet with G3000 now, buy a M2.
You will get Cessna support and history with the 525 CJ airframe for around $4m.